Home
by marvelistakingover
Summary: After CACW, Steve receives a call about something he needs to come and see. That something that has been calling him home for almost 75 years.
1. Chapter 1

**Wakanda**

It had been weeks, maybe even months since Steve and Bucky disappeared into the secrecy of Wakanda, Bucky back on ice, afraid of what his mind would do under the control of someone else, and Steve left alone with his thoughts. It seemed that Steve was almost always alone. He received the occasional update from Sam, still hiding after the breakout from Ross' prison, but in the serenity of the jungle, Steve was now, and again, alone.

That morning, not a special day, no day out of the ordinary, Steve woke up and began his daily routine. The difference about this morning was about to show itself however. Waiting for his daily coffee in the kitchen, his phone rang. Assuming it was Sam with another update, or simply a joke to lift his spirits, Steve answered without even looking twice at the caller ID.

"Hey man, tell me something good" Steve said into the receiver.

"Aww, you miss me that much, huh?" The voice on the other end was not Sam. Tony Stark certainly knew how to throw a guy.

"Tony. How did you get this number?"

"Seriously? Wow you really are an old man. I literally have every ounce of modern technology at my fingertips, and you're wondering how I managed to find the number of some dinosaur flip phone? Honestly Cap. I'm hurt. Hurt." Tony hadn't lost his charm, obviously.

"What do you want Tony?" Steve had plenty of time on his hands, though none of it was reserved for Tony.

"Look, I know we had our little disagreement…" Steve made what Tony assumed to be a snort on the other end of the phone, "but something has happened, and I think it's something that you need to see."

"I appreciate the call, and that you think I need to see whatever it is that you have put together recently, but something tells me that I'm not exactly welcome with open arms back home. Unless Ross has moved on to hunting down someone else." Steve wasn't bitter, but Tony knew that he absolutely had to get Steve back onto American soil, no matter what.

"Ok, my fault there, and I'll handle Ross, and everything else." Tony was basically begging now. Steve wasn't budging. "You really need to see this. No one knows what to do. Please Steve." Steve leaned back against the counter of the small kitchen in his room, head hung in defeat. He had never heard Tony have such sincerity in his voice before, and knew that something was clearly wrong.

Steve took a long pause before responding to Tony, and thought if it was really worth it to take the chance and return to the states. "Alright, fine." Even though he agreed to the meeting, Steve still had his reservations about stepping into what could be the most obvious trap.

"Great! I'll have a jet come and get you ASAP. Send me your coordinates and get packed." Tony was practically giddy on the other end, which led to even more suspicion from Steve.

"Oh no. I'll meet you somewhere neutral. Then I'll send you my coordinates." Even if Tony was sending someone to arrest Steve, he knew that he couldn't give away where Bucky was. Protecting Bucky was top priority.

"Fine, fine. Just let me know when you're ready. I'll be waiting." Tony quickly obliged to Steve's wishes, and they both hung up at the same time.

Steve looked around the apartment that T'Challa had provided for him and wondered what Tony could possibly have up his sleeve. He pressed a small button on a wall panel, and within a few minutes, a knock arrived at the door. "Please let His Majesty know I'm going to need to borrow one of his planes." Steve let the man know who came to the door. He acknowledged Steve with a quick nod of his head.

"Guess I better start packing."


	2. Chapter 2

**Paris**

Steve stepped onto the tarmac of the private airport, and made sure that T'Challa's plane was nowhere in sight before Tony arrived. Of course there were ways for Tony to find out where he had been, and what plane had brought him to France, but Steve hoped that Tony wouldn't be too petty and look into it.

Grabbing some food and coffee from the small café at the airport, Steve waited for the Stark Industries jet to touch down and started to run through scenarios in his head of what Tony could possibly want him for. Was Howard's son really going to set him up and sell him out to the government? Despite all the similarities and the differences between Howard and Tony, Steve knew deep down that Tony wouldn't betray him. Would he?

Steve finished his meal just as the jet touched down. He tensed his shoulders, collected his bag and walked over to the jet. Tony's face was the first thing out the door when it opened.

"Hey Cap. Not exactly the secret location I had pictured. Shame we can't stay in Paris, I know some _great_ places to visit." Tony was still in the doorway as Steve approached.

"You're welcome to stay. I know I'm not exactly thrilled to endure a plane ride with you right now."

Steve brushed past Tony as Tony put a look of shock on his face. "That was just plain rude." Tony joked as he took a seat across from Steve. The jet sat on the tarmac for a while, while it was refueled and serviced. It was obvious that Tony had no time to waste.

"So, where are you taking me?"

"To a classified location."

Steve raised an eyebrow at Tony. The smallest feeling of panic was setting in, but Steve showed no signs of fear on his face.

"Hey, I don't even know where we're going. Only the pilot does, and he's SHIELD. Honest. I'm not here to trick you." Tony had his hands up in defense, which relieved some of Steve's worry, but not all.

The engines of the jet began to fire up, and Steve sat back in his seat. If he was heading into the hands of the government, there was no turning back now. He just had to accept his fate, whatever it was.

The two sat mostly in silence for half of the flight, Tony working away behind a myriad of tech, and Steve simply looking out the window, lost in thought.

Tony looked up from his tasks and decided to shut his workstation down. He turned to Steve and seemed to study him for a while. Steve took notice and looked to Tony.

"What's on your mind, Cap?" Tony was very clearly trying to smooth out the rocky situation between the two.

"Not sure it's even worth sharing. Sometimes, I feel like all my mind does is race. About things I could have done, should have done. Like with Bucky." Steve looked Tony dead in the eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about your parents. I thought I was doing the right thing, but honestly, it just feels like anytime I try to do what is right, it turns out to be really, really wrong. Howard was my friend. I shouldn't have kept it from you. You were my friend too." There was genuine remorse across Steve's face, worn with an expression of absolute sadness.

"I know. We do whatever we have to, to protect the people we love." Tony immediately thought of Pepper. "Was I mad? Of course. But I've had time, and I've started to think more and I'm slowly moving past it. And I still am. Your friend. Even though you make some seriously questionable choices."

Steve gave a small laugh and rolled his eyes. Tony always had to make a meaningful conversation comical in his own way.

Suddenly, the shades in the jet began to dim, making the cabin seem almost black inside. Steve looked around, ready fight off whatever might be approaching. The pilot's voice came on overhead.

"Gentlemen, we're getting ready to land. Please remain seated."

Steve and Tony buckled their seatbelts. "What's with the blackout?" Steve questioned Tony. "I told you, we're going to a classified location. SHIELD must have hijacked the tech settings in the control panel."

Steve could tell the pilot was flying them around in circles, deliberately to throw them off. After about twenty minutes of that, the pilot request permission to land. Before Steve knew it, they were on the ground, and the shades in the jet had returned to normal, letting in the natural daylight. Steve and Tony collected their belongings and made their way off the jet.

What was standing there waiting for them, was something that neither had expected.

"Hey guys."


	3. Chapter 3

**The Playground**

"Hey guys. Welcome to The Playground."

Steve and Tony looked at each other amazed. Phil Coulson was dead. They both knew that. Loki had killed him in the Battle of New York. So, how was he standing before them right now?

"This is what you wanted to show me? Come on Tony, this is taking your tech a little too far."

"Excuse me. I'm just as shocked as you are. This isn't on me, and it's not what I called you for." Tony jabbed back.

"Fellas, I know this is all a little strange, but let's be real here. It's SHIELD. It's always weird." Coulson spoke up to put the growing argument to rest.

Steve walked over to Coulson and shook his hand with a little extra force. "It's good to see you again. I'm glad that you're still amongst the living."

"Yeah, how exactly did that happen? I'm nowhere near this this level of tech." Tony was still amazed to see Coulson before him.

"Long story. Probably best to save it for another time. Right now, we have pressing matters for Captain Rogers." Coulson turned to start walking into the base, with Steve and Tony right on his heels. Coulson tapped his lanyard to the access screen, admitting him in, and opening the steel doors that separated the hangar from the inside of the base.

Once inside, Steve felt like he had stepped back in time. Everything about the base screamed Peggy, not to mention, there were still SSR symbols painted onto the walls.

"Remind me to get you guys some lanyards, Agent Koenig won't be too thrilled I didn't already tell him I needed two more. But I think he will make an exception for you two." Coulson turned around to see Tony at his side but Steve still looking around.

"Captain Rogers? Everything alright?"

"Yeah, I feel like I stepped back in time when I came through that door. Where are we, exactly?"

"This is The Playground. A classified SHIELD location, which was once occupied by the SSR, if you couldn't tell. When SHIELD fell, we needed a place to regroup. Rebuild. So, we who were left came here."

"And did she…" Steve's question trailed off as he caught glimpse of the SSR eagle on the wall opposite of him.

"Yes. Agent Carter oversaw the construction of this location in 1949." Coulson didn't want to bring up Peggy too much, but Steve had a right to know about this facility he was in.

By now, the other agents passing by in the corridors had started to notice that Iron Man and Captain America were standing in the entrance to the facility. Whispers and staring were starting to grow, and luckily, Jemma showed up at the right time.

"Captain Rogers, if you could, would you mind following Agent Coulson and myself to the Director's office?" Jemma could clearly diffuse a situation before it even turned into one.

"Huh? Oh yeah, of course. Lead the way ma'am." Steve followed Coulson and Simmons with Tony close by, but not before he was distracted by the lab.

The Director was luckily out of the office, on business in Washington, so Coulson commandeered the office that was once his. Leo Fitz joined them as well.

"Well Captain, I'm sure you're wondering why you're here." Coulson started, Steve began to brace himself for a presentation.

"If you're going to tell me Fury is alive, no need, I already know that." Steve sat back in his chair and crossed a leg over the other. "I am curious as to why Tony is here though."

"We thought that Mr. Stark would benefit from this as well, and he offered to make contact with you." Steve looked to Tony, but was not met with a look back from him.

It was Fitz's turn to speak up. "As you know, there are what we now know them as, Infinity Stones. With the mind stone already located with Vision, the location and the use of the other stones are a mystery to us. Until recently."

Steve sat forwards, wondering what on earth this man was saying to him.

"Recently, we believe that a time stone was used. Severing the time space continuum, and making a slight adjustment to our present day. We have seen travel through different dimensions before, and even from other planets, however I have never seen anything like this, and it's definitely thrown me." Fitz was beginning to ramble, losing Steve in patches along the way, but Tony was of course nodding along, understanding everything.

Simmons stepped in, placing her hand on Fitz's arm, calming him down. Steve definitely noticed that.

"What Dr. Fitz is trying to say, is that we essentially have a time traveler on our base."

"Told ya. SHIELD is weird." Coulson chimed in from his seat.

Steve sat back, still waiting to see why exactly he was needed in this situation. He took a sip of the water from the glass in his hand. "So why exactly are you telling me this? I'm not the scientist here, that's Tony's department."

Looks between the three agents were shared. Unsure of who should speak first, Coulson decided that the news should probably come from him. He sat forward on his chair, and turned to Steve.

"Cap. We brought you in on this, because you need to see this. We need you to verify that who we have, is who we actually think it is." Coulson spoke very slowly, while Fitz and Simmons looked on.

"What the hell is going on, Coulson? Cause you're starting to freak me out a little." Steve didn't move from his position in his chair.

"Simmons, go ahead."

Simmons pressed a few buttons on her tablet, pulling up a video feed of a recovery room. On the bed, lay a woman who looked to be sleeping peacefully. Tony looked to the screen and his eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw the woman. Steve looked up, his face betraying no emotion while Coulson, Fitz and Simmons looked to him for his reaction.

The glass Steve held in his hand was now shattered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Director's Office**

Steve's hand that had held the glass was now trembling slightly, dripping blood onto the chair he was occupying.

Simmons rushed over to lend aid to his hand, but he stood up before she could reach him.

"This is some kind of sick joke, right?" Steve began pacing around the room, rapidly feeling like he was a caged animal, needing to break out. He turned to Tony.

"Did you know about this?"

"I knew it was something, but definitely not this. Come on Cap, don't you think I would have told you if I knew? This isn't something I would lie to you about." Tony tried to reason with Steve but he wasn't hearing it.

"Where is that feed coming from?" The lack of emotion in Steve's voice astounded those in the room.

"It's from a containment room in the facility."

"Containment?"

"We weren't sure where she originally came from. We had to make sure there was no risk of infection or disease that could be spread to our agents." Simmons explained. "It's standard protocol for any situation we incur."

"Where. Is. It."

"Downstairs, in the lower levels." Fitz finally spoke up.

Steve made a beeline for the door, opening it and bracing his bloody hand against the wall, leaving a smeared handprint behind. The door slammed against the wall with the force of Steve opening it, Simmons and Coulson chasing after him.

"Captain, wait!" Simmons cried out behind him.

"I have to see for myself. In person. I won't believe it unless I see with my own eyes." Steve finally said to Simmons once she caught up to him. A few other agents joined in on the commotion, not really wanting to go back to their tasks when they realized it was Captain America who was running through their hallways.

"Let us take you. Can't have you running around opening random doors." Coulson said as he put his hand on Steve's shoulder.

Steve nodded, and let Coulson take the lead. Following Coulson down some flights of stairs, Steve trailed behind him like a little boy following his dad. His hand still dripped blood every step he took, leaving behind little droplets like breadcrumbs.

Tony had stayed behind with Fitz, ready to journey into the lab and basically play with the gadgets.

They finally arrived outside a solid door, with a guard posted outside. Coulson waived him off, and Simmons entered a code to allow the three to step into the containment pod located within the room. Steve held his breath as he stepped into the pod, really not sure of what he should expect.

Once inside, Steve got as close to the window as he possible could without pressing his face against it. He finally let out that breath he was holding, and put his hands against the frame of the window, leaving more blood behind.

"Well Cap? Are we right?" Coulson asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Let me in."

"Captain, we can't. We still can't risk a chance of contamination." Simmons explained.

"I don't care. I need to see in person."

"Captain, please try to understand, we are simply looking out for your best interest, and for those in this facility…" Simmons tried to reason with Steve, but he wasn't having it.

"Please! Open that door before I do it myself." Steve's voice had risen to an uncomfortably loud volume. Simmons flinched but Coulson didn't budge.

"Go ahead Simmons. Open it." Coulson kept his voice even.

Simmons moved to the panel on the wall of the containment pod, and opened the doors.

Steve stood in the doorframe of the pod. Breathing heavily, unsure of his next move. Coulson looked at his hero, Captain America, the man who could hold the world on his shoulders, reduced to a shaking mess. Coulson didn't pity him, he felt sorrow for Steve. During their short interactions in New York, Coulson could see how alone Steve felt, no matter how good of a façade Steve put on for those around him, his eyes always betrayed his true feelings.

"Go on Cap, take all the time you need. We'll be right here."

Steve turned back to Coulson, thankful for the reassurance from his regained friend.

His hand was no longer bleeding; the serum was already beginning to start the healing process. He had Dr. Simmons pull the one big shard of glass remaining, so his skin didn't grow over it. Once that was done, Coulson and Simmons stepped out of the pod, leaving Steve in the door.

One deep breath, and Steve closed his eyes as he stepped into the room. He walked over to the bed, slowly, almost as if he was approaching a bomb that was going to explode at any second. Next to the bed, he let out a breath he didn't realize he was even holding. He looked down at the bed, and started crying.

"Holy shit."


	5. Chapter 5

**SHIELD Recovery Room**

There she was. Peggy Carter, in the flesh, young and beautiful, just as Steve remembered seeing her the day he jumped onboard the Valkyrie. She was sleeping, at least that's what Steve had hoped she was doing, brown curls splayed out across the pillow. She wasn't wearing any makeup, but it didn't matter, she was just as striking without her signature red lips.

Steve lifted a shaky hand to her face, before a tear fell from his face onto the back of his hand. Suddenly, Steve pulled his hand back, and turned to back out of the room faster than he came into it. He all but collapsed back into the containment pod. Simmons closed the doors behind him.

"Are you alright?" Simmons asked while she placed her hand on Steve's back.

"I feel like I can't breathe. I don't understand this at all. I went to her funeral. I carried her casket. She's dead. So how is she in that room?"

"We don't really understand either, but we are trying to figure that out." Simmons paused before moving on to the question she really had to ask Steve. "How sure are you that, that is actually Peggy Carter in there?"

"It looks just like her." Steve paused. "I need another minute in there. Alone this time."

Captain America was never one to run away from a situation, but this was unlike anything he had ever faced before.

Wordlessly, Simmons re-opened the doors, and she and Coulson stepped out of the pod. Steve squared up, and walked back through the doors. He walked with determination towards the bed this time, hell bent to punish the person who tried to trick him if in fact, this Peggy was an imposter.

Steve looked down at the bed that held his one great love, suddenly feeling like a giant standing above a city. He knelt down onto the ground, and began to study her face. She certainty looked the same as his Peggy. Reaching out to hold her hand, he noticed the insane amount of similarities between this Peggy and his. Could this really be her?

He leaned in a little closer, taking in every detail that he could. She was dressed in standard issue SHIELD clothes, and the blankets were folded right at her waist. Steve noticed a scar that was on her abdomen, and remembered reading in Peggy's file that she had been impaled on some rebar during a fight with Whitney Frost in the mid-40's. Steve laid his head down on the bed, still holding Peggy's hand to his face, her red nails standing out in contrast to the white tones in the room. Staring at her face, there was no doubt in Steve's mind that this woman was his best girl.

Placing her hand back on the bed next to her, Steve stood back up and made his way out of the room. He walked towards Coulson and Simmons, head held high.

"What do you say Cap?" Coulson asked.

"I don't know how, but that's her. She looks the same; hell she even smells the same. That's my girl in there." Steve replied, looking back through the glass at Peggy's sleeping form on the bed. "How long has she been here?"

"Only a few days. She's been in and out of sleep. In fact, this is actually the most relaxed we've seen her since she arrived." Simmons told Steve, looking in on Peggy as well.

"Well, as long as she's here, hope you don't mind me hanging around. Not exactly like I have too many places to be running off to."

"Happy to have you here, Cap." Coulson half-smiled, secretly thrilled to have two of his heroes on the same base as him. "Let's get you settled in a room."

Tony finally caught up with Steve once he resurfaced from the recovery room. "Well?" Tony came up right next to Steve, leaning his head in.

"It's her."

"Wow. Aunt Pegs, back from the dead." Tony responded back, earning a disapproving look from Steve.

"Hey, she's just as important to me as she is to you. She could always put Howard into his place, and anyone who can do that, holds high esteem in my book."

Steve chuckled, remembering the banter that used to take place between Howard and Peggy during the war. "So, have fun in the lab?"

"It's impressive in there, I could make a ton of improvements, obviously. But their tech is cutting edge. That Fitz really knows his way around a laboratory. I like him." Tony was typing something onto his phone, responding to Steve without missing a beat. "What are you gonna do about Peggy?" Tony finally looked up at Steve.

"I'm not going anywhere until she wakes up. No matter how long that takes." Steve replied, arms crossed against his body. "I hope you can understand."

"I do. But I can't stay here with you. Duty calls back in New York."

Steve nodded. Even though the Avengers pretty much didn't exist anymore, Tony still had responsibilities in his everyday life. "The jet's ready for me, but I can always try and come back when I can. Just let me know if you need anything." Tony had approached Steve, with his hand extended.

"I will. But I've got everything I need down in that room." Steve replied, shaking Tony's hand. "I'll let you know if anything changes in the meantime."

Tony smiled and nodded at Steve before turning to head out of the base, back to his jet. Steve looked around at the agents moving around the base. He began walking back the room that Coulson had set up for him when he bumped into someone.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't even paying attention to where I was going. Are you alright?" Steve apologized profusely.

"No, I wasn't looking, my fault…Captain America" Bobbi Morse's mouth was now hanging open, definitely not expecting to run face first into who she did.

Steve being Steve nodded and moved on, leaving Morse star struck. "Bob, you alright?" Lance Hunter asked as he approached her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Happy Valentine's Day y'all. Thanks for all the positive feedback on the story. As my gift to you, here's some fluffy fluff fluff. Enjoy!**

 **The Playground**

It had been days since Tony had left Steve behind to wait for Peggy to wake up. Or had it been weeks? Steve really hadn't been outside too much since arriving at The Playground, and had begun to lose track of time. His days were now occupied with sitting at Peggy's bedside and the occasional break to wander back up to his room to shower and change his clothes. He had made friends with the agents on the base, speaking to them in passing, or even reluctantly sharing stories about various battles. It was obvious that they were all trying to keep his mind occupied from the fact that Peggy had still not woken up.

Simmons found him in his usual spot, a chair parked right next to her bed. Steve practically had a full beard now, he had found no need to shave while on base, and he looked like he hadn't slept in a few days. Simmons approached him with a cup of coffee and a hand on his shoulder. Steve looked up, eternally grateful for the offering.

"Thank you." He said, accepting the mug. It was probably his tenth cup of coffee he had that day.

"You really need to get some rest. Running on no sleep is extremely unhealthy, and we can't have you in the next bed from exhaustion." Simmons responded, looking down at Steve. Her face was etched with concern for him.

"I know, I just feel like the second I leave, or if I close my eyes, she'll wake up, and I don't want her to be alone." Steve looked to Peggy, still in shock that she was there, right before his eyes.

Simmons nodded, she understood Steve's concern. She herself wouldn't want to leave anyone she cared for alone, even for the shortest time. "Why hasn't she woken up yet? Is there something wrong?" Steve's voice cracked, but he recovered quickly, covering it up by clearing his throat.

"We're not sure to be honest. All of her functions are normal, she's breathing on her own, everything. Traveling through different dimensions of time and space can clearly wear your body out. I think she will just wake up on her own time. Whenever that is."

Steve simply nodded, and looked back to Peggy's sleeping form. He took a long sip of the coffee, letting the hot liquid warm him slowly. Simmons noticed that Steve looked almost lost by her answer. "Perhaps talking a walk might do you some good, Captain. If you're not going to sleep, at least get up and move around a bit more." Simmons was all but begging him now.

"Sure. A walk actually sounds nice." Steve submitted, knowing that at least if he saw daylight, Simmons might not worry about him so much. He stood up, and stretched out his enormous frame. The chair he sat in was almost comically small for his large body, but he still made due. Simmons smiled and breathed a small sigh of relief that she was actually able to get through to him. "I'll leave you to it Captain." Simmons went to turn and walk away when Steve's voice caught her attention.

"Dr. Simmons, would you like to join me?"

"Certainly Captain." She flashed a wide smile at Steve, as he motioned towards the door.

They made their way up towards the main level of the base, sharing light conversation back and forth. They wound their way through the hallways, Steve taking notice of every SSR symbol that had been painted onto the walls. Steve observed Simmons as they took their walk, she was bright and bubbly, but he could tell she definitely had a fierce streak hiding in her as well. She reminded Steve a lot of Peggy.

Simmons steered him towards the kitchen area, guiding him to sit at one of the stools near the counter. Daisy Johnson followed behind Simmons, wanting to finally sneak a peek at the special visitor on base. Daisy awkwardly wandered around the kitchen, fishing for an introduction from Simmons. After some glances back and forth, Simmons rolled her eyes, and went to introduce Daisy to Steve.

"Captain Rogers, this is Agent…"

"Johnson. I know. I've heard about you. All good things of course." Steve interjected before Simmons could finish her introduction. Steve had extended his hand towards Daisy.

Daisy shook it, and mumbled a few words incoherently. Steve looked at Simmons with wide eyes, and a confused look plastered on his face. She shrugged, anyone who knew Daisy knew this was a common occurrence. Realizing how awkward the atmosphere had become, Daisy seemed to snap out of her trance and actually began a conversation with Steve.

"So, no more Avengers." Daisy deadpanned.

"Uh, yeah. Not for me at least." Steve really didn't know what to do with this situation anymore.

"That was the best you could come up with? No more Avengers?" Simmons looked Daisy straight in the face. "Well you try having a conversation with Captain freaking America and see how well you do!" Daisy exclaimed back to her friend. "I've been doing just fine since he got here, actually." Simmons quipped back coolly.

"Um, ladies. Agents. Whomever you are, I'm right here. And you don't have to keep calling me Captain America, or even Captain Rogers. You can just call me Steve."

"Sorry. So, what do you do now?" Daisy spoke back up.

"I wait for Peggy to wake up. After that, who knows." Steve shrugged his shoulders simply.

"Well, where do you go after this? Back to the Avengers Facility? Home?"

"You've seen that woman downstairs, right?" Steve asked Daisy and she nodded in response. "That's my home. I don't need to be anywhere else but right here with her. Awake or not." The two women in the room visibly softened.

"And if she doesn't wake up?" Simmons asked, all scientific logic aside.

"Can I ask you a question Dr. Simmons?" She nodded. "Have you ever loved someone with your whole heart? So much that when you're in the same room with that person, you can't breathe, but when you're apart, your heart aches for them?" Simmons smiled and looked down, hiding the blush that creeped across her face.

"That's how I feel about Peggy. It's how I've always felt. I've been in love with her for 75 years, and if I have to wait for her to wake up, I'll wait until the end of time if I have to. This is my second chance, and no matter what happens, I'm not messing it up this time."

Daisy looked away to wipe a tear that threatened to fall, as Simmons simply smiled at Steve.

The moment was quickly interrupted by Hunter running into the room. "There's a problem in Agent Carter's room. Come now."


	7. Chapter 7

**Ok, this chapter is pretty short, but I've kind of hit a wall lately. Time to get some inspiration! Thanks for all the reviews and follows!**

 **The Playground**

Hunter's words echoed like a bomb in Steve's ears. There was a problem in Peggy's room. Steve bolted from his stool in the kitchen back down to the recovery room, Hunter, Simmons and Skye trying to keep up with his speed. Steve needed no directions on how to find his way this time, he could find his way back to the room with his eyes closed, and luckily he was able to find his way in this moment.

Steve arrived at the door of Peggy's room to find it closed. He looked through the small window of the door to find a fight happening. The two large guards who normally stood outside the door were now inside the room, one was already on the ground out cold. The second was fighting, and rather unsuccessfully, with Peggy who was now very much awake.

The group trailing behind Steve had caught up with him, shocked at the scene that was playing out before them. "Open the door, now!" Steve non-directly shouted at anyone who would listen. Simmons frantically began to override the system which had locked itself down. Steve had no time to wait. He needed to get into the room and diffuse the situation. Steve began to pull at the door with his hands, not wanting to wait for the computer system to reboot. After a few seconds, the door gave way to Steve's super strength and slid open. He rushed into the room.

"Peggy, stop!" Steve shouted with his hand up.

Peggy's brown eyes were wide with shock when she finally saw who the voice came from. She dropped the chair she was holding above the guard, whom she subdued to the floor. The guard scurried away from Peggy as she stood there with her mouth slightly open. She was panting hard from the fight she had obviously won, not noticing the group of people that had formed in the back of the room. All she saw was Steve in front of her.

"Let's give them the room." Simmons suggested, as Hunter and Daisy helped to move the guards out. She cut the feed to the cameras in the room as well, knowing that Steve and Peggy deserved a few private moments. It was now just the two of them in the room.

"Is this a dream?" Peggy finally asked, her accent still as crisp as Steve remembered.

"I hope not." Steve responded somewhat breathlessly.

They both had unknowingly taken steps towards each other, until they were close enough for Peggy to reach up to Steve's face. It was more weathered than she remembered, and hidden beneath a beard. Steve closed his eyes and leaned his face into her touch, realizing that she had never seen him with a beard. Hell, almost everyone he knew had never seen him with a beard.

"This has to be a dream. There is no possible way that you could be standing here." Peggy said, struggling to hide the emotion in her voice. "We buried you."

"I buried you too." Steve replied, looking down into Peggy's eyes. She looked the same as he remembered her. Her hair was longer, but he liked it.

Peggy's hands fell to Steve's shoulders as she looked at him with confusion at his previous statement. Steve didn't respond, but instead fell to his knees, grasping at Peggy to pull her as close to him as he could. He buried his face in the stomach of her shirt, taking in every ounce of her that he could get. His shoulders rolled with sobs, as Peggy hugged him into her even closer.

"Oh my darling." Peggy whispered to Steve as her tears finally began to fall as well. She laid her head down on the top of Steve's as they both cried. They stayed like that for what felt like forever, neither wanting to let go. Eventually breaking apart, Peggy sat on the bed, with Steve still on the floor, looking up at her. She held his face in her hands, studying every inch of him.

"Where have you been?" She asked.

"Waiting for you."


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for all the follows! Slowly getting my inspiration back again!**

 **SHIELD Recovery Room**

Steve reached up and wiped the tears out of Peggy's eyes. She sat on the edge of the bed while Steve knelt on the floor in front of her. They spent a few minutes simply staring at each other before either one of them spoke up.

"Where am I?" Peggy finally asked.

"You're in a recovery room on a SHIELD base." Peggy gave Steve a curious look.

"You'd probably know SHIELD better as the SSR. You, Howard and Phillips created SHIELD from the SSR. You were even the Director for years." Steve filled in the gaps for Peggy.

"What year do you think this is?"

Peggy looked around the room. "1947. What year is it, actually?"

"It's 2016. Don't worry, it was a pretty big shock for me too." Steve sat back a little bit.

"I guess I should fill you in on that, too." Peggy nodded to Steve. He stood up, and sat across from Peggy on the bed.

"When I crashed the Valkyrie, the ice sort of froze me in time. The serum was basically the only thing that kept me alive. 70 years later, and team discovered me, brought me back to New York and defrosted me."

Peggy winced at the term.

"Joined up with the Avengers, saved the planet a few times, but I've basically been on my own ever since."

"You're not alone anymore." Steve leaned his head down into Peggy's hands.

"Did anyone figure out how I got here? The last thing I remember is stepping inside a containment unit in Howard's lab, and then I woke up here. I've been in and out of sleep for a couple of days I guess."

"I know; I've been here for almost all of them." Steve's face flushed a light shade of pink.

"Steven Rogers, when was the last time you slept?"

"Probably 3 or 4…"

"Hours?" Peggy was hopeful.

"Days." His response was extremely blunt.

"You are going to go lay down this second and sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up."

Steve smiled at how Peggy hadn't changed at all, still as bossy as ever.

"I'm fine. I'd rather stay here with you." Steve rubbed his face, his eyes drooping with exhaustion.

"Alright then." Peggy sat back in the bed, her back against the wall, patting her hand on her lap. "You're going to lay right here and sleep."

"Peggy…"

"Ah! I said lay down Captain."

Steve was beyond the point of arguing. He was beyond exhausted, and knew that he could not stay awake much longer. Giving in, Steve crawled into the bed and laid his head down on Peggy's lap. Within seconds, he was out cold.

Steve woke up some time later, his body facing down on the bed, his head in Peggy's lap, and his arm wrapped over her leg. She smiled down at him, her hands running through his hair as he stirred.

Steve sat up, rubbing his eyes. "How long was I out?"

Peggy turned off the tablet that was in her hands and placed it on a side table. "Almost 5 hours. I took the liberty of catching up on what I'd missed. A Dr. Simmons helped me learn my way around that tablet and get me on to a Wikipedia; I believe it's called. Lovely girl, she was thrilled to see you sleeping finally."

"So you're all caught up, huh?"

"I suppose I am. I can't believe about Hydra living on after the Red Skull. I can believe that you stopped them, yet again. And Sergeant Barnes?"

"He's safe. Getting better, I hope." Steve shifted his eyed down to the bed.

"I'm glad you two found each other again."

Steve smiled.

"I, uh, I could really use a shower. Would you mind if I left you for about an hour?"

"Not at all. Dr. Simmons mentioned some tests they would like to run now that I'm awake. You go shower, I'll be here when you're done."

They both got up off the bed, Steve stretching out his body and helping Peggy get to her feet. Dr. Simmons came into the room to collect Peggy, leading her out before Steve left. He finally got the courage to do what should have been done hours ago.

"Wait!" Steve called out to Peggy as she was exiting the room.

She turned back as Steve walked up to her. He put one hand on her waist, and the other on the side of her face, tilting her head up so he could bring his down to meet hers. Steve brought his lips down to Peggy's, savoring the moment; unlike the rushed kiss they had in the back of Schmidt's car. Dr. Simmons smiled at the scene and looked away, giving them some privacy.

Peggy had placed one hand on Steve's chest, and the other on his arm to make sure she didn't fall over. They broke apart and Steve smiled at Peggy's still closed eyes.

"Well that was worth 70 years of waiting." Steve and Peggy laughed at the same time.

"See you in an hour darling."


End file.
